Morelle targeting urban families

Morelle right to see helping urban families as priority

A new state report is the latest to recommend a viable response to problems plaguing urban schools that have been talked about for years. Maybe this time will be different.

For one thing, Rochester continues to add to its list of people in high-powered positions in Albany. Joining Lt. Gov. Robert Duffy; Assemblyman David Gantt, who chairs the Assembly Transportation Committee; and Minority Leader Brian Kolb is Assemblyman Joe Morelle. He was recently elevated to Assembly majority leader, a job that puts him second behind Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.

It was refreshing to hear Morelle tell the Editorial Board last week that the plight of students in Rochester schools is among his top priorities. What's more, he's already begun discussions with groups like The Children's Agenda to find new ways to deal with problems city students face before they arrive at school.

After all, it's no secret that city students, who are among the poorest in the nation, wrestle with problems at home and in their neighborhoods that contribute to poor classroom performance.

It's why the ill-fated Children's Zone, patterned after the acclaimed Harlem Children's Zone, gained widespread support before it collapsed. And it's why SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher believed she could bring a similar "surround care" initiative to New York and make it succeed. Its local incarnation, called "Strive" and led by Monroe Community College President Anne Kress, has yet to get off the ground.

On the heels of recommendations by Gov. Andrew Cuomo's Education Reform Commission for, among other things, "community schools," it's a plus that Morelle is committed to focusing on building stronger urban families.